Film star and Praja Rajyam president Chiranjeevi says his party will support the formation of small states if people strongly desire so

Hyderabad: Many of his movies portrayed him as a larger-than-life hero who was always on the side of the small people or the so-called common man but Telugu actor Chiranjeevi, who recently announced the formation of a regional political party, Praja Rajyam, isn’t in favour of long-term populist schemes because these could prove disastrous for the economy.
Chiranjeevi is trying to emulate the late N.T. Rama Rao, founder of the Telugu Desam Party and a former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, and the late M.G. Ramachandran, founder of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. Rao and Ramachandran, who too went on to become chief minister of his state, were, like Chiranjeevi, iconic movie stars with a huge fan following.
While actors have traditionally found the going good in politics in south India, their ability to transform celluloid popularity into votes would appear to be waning a bit. In Tamil Nadu, for instance, actor Vijayakanth, a peer of Chiranjeevi, hasn’t had much of an impact with his party, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam.
Chiranjeevi, however, is adept at speaking the new political language. In an interview, he says his party will strive to achieve a balance between the industrial and agricultural economies; support the formation of small states within existing states if people want this; and be part of a coalition at the federal level to protect and foster the interests of Andhra Pradesh.
Edited excerpts:
Why did you decide to enter politics?
For the past several years, I have been toying with the idea of giving back to society that has offered me so much and made me what I am today. Accordingly, I started contributing to society in a limited way through blood and eye banks, which, however, did not satisfy me much. Meanwhile, the expectations of people from me have grown significantly and they went on mounting pressure on me to take up a larger role towards social service. After years of elaborate deliberations on their appeal, I have finally arrived at a conclusion that serving the public is a life time opportunity and denying it may be a major blunder on my part.
Do you think there is political vacuum in Andhra Pradesh?
Politically correct: Film star and Praja Rajyam president Chiranjeevi. He is impressed by parties in Tamil Nadu that support governments at the Centre and win major industrial projects for their state. Bharath Sai / MintPeople from all walks of life have been looking for a major change and they found in me the sincerity, commitment and ability to bring about that change in their lives. There has been tremendous voluntary response from the public offering support to the idea of my political entry. I hope to live up to their expectations.
Tell us what you will and can do even if you are not elected to power, and what you will do if elected?